Which mountain is the world’s third-highest peak, at 8,586 metres above sea level?

Kangchenjunga is the world’s third-highest mountain, rising to 8,586 metres above sea level.

The mountain lies in the Himalayas on the border between Nepal and India’s Sikkim state. Its name is commonly translated as “The Five Treasures of Snows,” referring to its five major summits. The highest summit is Kangchenjunga Main, while the other principal peaks are Kangchenjunga West, Kangchenjunga Central, Kangchenjunga South and Kangbachen.

Joe Brown and George Band made the first confirmed ascent on 25 May 1955, as part of a British expedition. The climbers stopped just short of the actual summit in respect for a promise made to Sikkim’s Chogyal, preserving the peak’s sacred status. Kangchenjunga is sometimes confused with K2, but K2 is the world’s second-highest mountain and stands in the Karakoram.